Why You Need a Technical Writer for Hire

Technical writers for hire accomplish what few other writers can. Their communications reach industry employees, consumers, engineers, manufacturers, and many more. Technical writers teach everyone how to use, repair, assemble, troubleshoot, maintain, or navigate through the written word. This clarity is especially critical in the modern software landscape, where seamless user onboarding dictates whether an application succeeds or fails.

When all other phases of a product launch are complete, it is the technical writer that has to bridge the gap between object/service and the person it is intended for.

When to Find a Technical Writer for Hire

“Technical” is a rather broad term. Therefore, technical writers draft and edit many different types of materials. Here are a few examples of what kind of content is best written by a technical writer.

Business Plans

A good business plan is more than just a company mission statement. The team must be introduced, including qualifications justifying their role. The value of the product or service must be as clearly described as the product itself.

From there, analysis is required. The market must be analyzed along with the competition, and growth projections are a must. They must identify and explain risks. A full financial breakdown and schedule of milestones must be complete. Whether pitching a SaaS platform or an enterprise software solution, clear presentation determines investor confidence.

Have the average team member do this, and the information may be more or less correct. However, it will not be coherently organized, sequenced, and illustrated. Technical writers present things logically, with visual aids when necessary.

Legal Disclaimers

Also known as Terms of Service. These unwieldy pieces are not carefully read by most consumers but are critical to the protection of any organization. Some disclaimers involve an intimidating level of detail, particularly when governing software licenses, cloud data storage, and end-user agreements.

Choosing words carefully is a key principle for any writer, but the stakes are higher here. Technical writers must use very specific language that would hold up in a court of law. Courts prefer that plain language, accessible to laypeople, is used, so often a technical writer will have to do both: write the legal disclaimer in legalese, and also in plain language.

User Manuals

These are the types of documents people most commonly associate with technical writers. If a consumer buys electronics, unassembled furniture, software, or many other types of products, they will need the user manual to learn how to use it, maintain it, or put it together.

Here is where technical writers can become scientists and researchers themselves. They go through the process personally and devise the best way to instruct others on getting the same result. Technical writers also complete the process themselves to ascertain where a consumer might have trouble, or what questions they will have.

All of this must be addressed in the user manual, using language that the buyer will understand.

Company Reports and Documents

Large organizations use technical writers for their employee handbooks, company policy guides, training manuals, and more. They require documents explaining safety procedures, troubleshooting in-house processes, rights and responsibilities, and so on. Again, a technical writer presents all of this in a way that is understandable to the reader, while adhering to company culture.

A lot of organizations also must produce biannual or annual reports revealing expenditures, profits, stock information, and more. A technical writer can make this a high-value document with visual aids that interested parties will actually enjoy looking over.

Help Systems

Most people are familiar with this type of copy. When software is installed on a machine, the user may need help navigating as they become familiar. They may also require additional assistance with less common processes.

The software’s help system guides them through. This copy is written by technical writers, who stick to simple instructions users at various reading levels can follow. They will make it so the user’s query is resolved in as few steps as possible.

Articles

It’s not all handbooks and user’s guides. Technical writers for hire do a fair bit of article writing, too. Many technical writers have a specific background in something like physics or computing, so their expertise is preferred for these types of articles. Software development firms frequently rely on these specialists to explain complex architectural decisions to enterprise buyers.

Usually, the topic will be niche under the technical or science umbrella. The audience for these articles is almost completely comprised of industry professionals or others with deep knowledge of the topic.

Technical Writers Are in Demand

Is it hard to find work as a technical writer for hire? The short answer is no. This is a field that is trending upward. Reported growth estimates indicate that jobs requiring technical writers will grow by more than 10% in the next several years. This is above average when compared to other occupations.

The reason for this is the rapid evolution of the current civilization. The fields of technology and science are making lightning-quick progress in many areas. As software integrations multiply and modern digital products become more sophisticated, the need for writers who can clearly interpret that technology grows every day.

How to Find the Best Technical Writer

A technical writer’s purpose is to make complex things easy and understandable for their audience. It would be helpful if it were also easy to find the technical writer themselves.

To hire the right writer, one must ask a series of questions:

• How much experience does the writer have, versus what the project requires?
• How can the quality of work be guaranteed? Does the writer edit and perform revisions?
• When should the project be complete? Can the writer have it ready by then, or is it more of a team project?
• Have they written about this topic or industry before?
• What kind of research do they perform? Do they know any experts they may use as a source?

It is also pertinent to see samples of past work, especially when hiring a freelancer. Past proof of favorable results is the number one selling point for any outsourced worker. That’s why technical writers typically maintain portfolios clients can view before deciding to hire them. If your project revolves around custom software, reviewing their past API docs or system walkthroughs is non-negotiable.

Alternatively, one could go through a writing service. Writing services have all types of writers on their working roster, and can link clients up with the type of writer they need. This may be the easiest avenue in finding the right technical writer for hire. Writing services have already tested and verified their skill, keep records of all past work, and can even provide clients an account manager to make sure the project is complete, correct, and turned in on time.